A Day to Remember's "Degenerates" Tour Hits Mohegan Sun Arena

A Day to Remember hit the road this fall headlining their US “Degenerates” tour with direct support from I Prevail and Beartooth. ADTR are celebrating this tour with the upcoming release of their newest album which is set to come out on the 15th of November. I Prevail is promoting a new release as well with their brand new record “TRAUMA” which came out this past March. New Jersey post-punk unit Can’t Swim opened the night, warming everyone up for Beartooth to take the stage.

Ohio metalcore’s Beartooth woke the crowd right up, immediately demanding interaction from fans as they filed into the arena. The night was young, but the energy was already building as frontman Caleb Shomo bounded across the stage and encouraging the audience to sing and dance along. The sound engineer even went as far as cutting the music in and out whenever Shomo pointed the microphone towards fans so that they too could be a part of the show. I could tell based on the crowd that the band had a lot of dedicated fans in the pit. The prevalence of Beartooth merch seen amongst the audience as well as the sheer energy of the crowd was enough to prove to me that this band is a fan favorite and an excellent choice for this tour package. Beartooth played a mix of old and new tunes, featuring a few songs off of their latest album “Disgusting” which was released in 2018.

I Prevail followed, introducing me to a side of metalcore that I had been previously unfamiliar with but leaving me impressed nonetheless. The first thing I noticed was that there were two vocalists, and the distinct dynamic between the two made for an entertaining and engaging experience. Brian Burkheiser’s flawless contribution of clean vocals combined with Eric Vanlerberghe’s screams made for a unique style that blended traditional metalcore with a slight essence of hip hop. In celebration of their latest album “TRAUMA” (released March 2019), I Prevail featured a selection of their freshest tunes including Hurricane and Paranoid. If I hadn’t already known about their new album, the crowd would have had me thinking that these songs were long time favorites. I looked beyond the GA pit and into the arena seating and could see fans dancing wildly, singing along to every word. Some even went as far as starting tiny little mosh pits up in the balcony, which was truly a sight to be seen. There’s nothing I love more than watching a band interact with the crowd, and I Prevail did exactly that. Not only did they engage fans throughout their entire time on stage, they wrapped up their set by making everyone partake in a “practice scream” in preparation for A Day to Remember to take over the rest of the night.

The lights remained low as the iconic gang vocals of the intro to A Day to Remember’s Downfall of us All filled the arena. At this point, an enormous white curtain was the only thing separating the stage from the audience, and I could feel the anticipation building. The curtain dropped in a dramatic fashion as vocalist Jeremy McKinnon’s “LET’S GO!!!” cut through the stadium and brought the rest of the band into action. The entire night had built up to this one moment, and it was every bit as exciting as I had hoped. After ripping through their first song, they transitioned right into All I Want, a much loved classic off of their 2010 album “What Separates Me from You” which threw me right into a wave of nostalgia. While on the topic of nostalgia, I would like to give an honorable mention to a special moment during their set in which they played My Own Worst Enemy, an absolute banger from the late 90’s by pop-punk band Lit. I wasn’t alone in my excitement upon hearing this tune, as the crowd just about lost their minds within the first few bars. Taking a step back from the nostalgia, ADTR took a moment to introduce their latest single “Degenerates” off of their upcoming album titled “You’re Welcome”. As the night went on, things got a little bit heavier. While taking a much needed water break I heard the recognizable fight riff of 2nd Sucks, which happens to be one of my all time favorite songs. I made my way to the massive circle pit that was forming in the crowd and stood watch as various body parts could be seen flying about. The madness continued as the band transitioned right into yet another classic, I’m Made of Wax, Larry, What Are You Made Of?

And just like that, it was over, A Day to Remember had left the stage. Or at least, that’s what they wanted us to think. It only took what felt like a few seconds of coaxing for the guys to return with a few more songs to close out the night. They were back with a vengeance, too, hitting us all with a tear jerker right as we were at our most vulnerable. As soon as they broke out the acoustic guitar, I knew some serious emotions were about to ensue. McKinnon introduced their encore by opening up about how difficult it is being away from loved ones. While the band’s experience with this is referencing going away on tour, he also emphasized how this is something that many of us go through in our own lives as well. Whether it be military leave or anything of the like, McKinnon brought forth a sense of unity throughout the arena as they closed the night with If It Means a Lot to You.

From the start of their set to the very last song, A Day to Remember put on one of the most spectacular performances that I have seen in a very long time. I couldn’t believe that after all of the years that I have been a fan of this band that this was my first time seeing them live, and it was everything I had dreamed of. Everything from the light and sound techs to the stage design was absolutely spot-on. It seemed that they had thought of everything, especially when it came to getting the crowd involved in the performance. I don’t want to give away too much, but I will say that ADTR has gotten pretty creative with their means of keeping fans on their toes. This was definitely a night that I will be re-living for a very long time, and I highly encourage everyone to try and make it to one of their shows as they finish off their tour.